Amnok River
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The Yalu River () or Amnok River () is a
river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
on the border between China and North Korea. Together with the Tumen River to its east, and a small portion of Paektu Mountain, the Yalu forms the
border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...
between China and North Korea. Its valley has been the scene of several military conflicts in the past centuries. It borders North Korea to the south and China to the north.


Name

The Chinese name ''Yalu'' ("duck-green") was first attested during the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
. According to the ''
Tongdian The ''Tongdian'' () is a Chinese institutional history and encyclopedia text. It covers a panoply of topics from high antiquity through the year 756, whereas a quarter of the book focuses on the Tang dynasty. The book was written by Du You from ...
'' (8th century), the river was named after its color, which resembled that of a mallard's head. The Korean name "Amnok" follows the Sino-Korean reading of the same name. In ancient times, the river was known as ''Peishui'' (''Paesu'', 浿水) or ''Mazishui'' (''Majasu'', 馬訾水). Historically, it was also known by the Korean name of ''Arinarye'' (아리나례강, 阿利那禮江). ''Ari'', a word from
Old Korean Old Korean is the first historically documented stage of the Korean language, typified by the language of the Unified Silla period (668–935). The boundaries of Old Korean periodization remain in dispute. Some linguists classify the sparsely at ...
used to refer to the 'spirituality (신령성; 神靈性) of the sun'. The second component might be related to the Old Korean word for 'river, stream', nari (나리, 川理). Two other theories exist for the name Yalu: one theory is that the name derived from ''Yalu ula'' () in the
Manchu language Manchu ( ) is a critically endangered language, endangered Tungusic language native to the historical region of Manchuria in Northeast China. As the traditional native language of the Manchu people, Manchus, it was one of the official language ...
. The Manchu word ''yalu'' () means "the boundary between two countries". In Mandarin Chinese, phonetically approximates the original Manchu word, but literally means "duck green", which was said to have been once the color of the river. The other theory is that the river was named after the combination of its two upper branches, which were called "" ( or'' Ap'') and "" ( or "''Rok''"/"''Nok''"), respectively.
Revised Romanization of Korean Revised Romanization of Korean () is the official Romanization of Korean, Korean language romanization system in South Korea. It was developed by the National Institute of Korean Language, National Academy of the Korean Language from 1995 and w ...
spelled it (; "Amnok River") and Revised Romanization of Hangeul spelled it (; "Aprok River").


Geography

From above sea level on Paektu Mountain on the China–North Korea border, the river flows south to Hyesan before sweeping north-west to Linjiang and then returning to a more southerly route for a further to empty into Korea Bay between Dandong (China) and Sinuiju (North Korea). The bordering Chinese provinces are
Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...
and
Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...
, while the bordering North Korean provinces are North Pyongan, Chagang and Ryanggang. The river is long and receives water from over of land. The Yalu's most significant
tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...
are the Changjin (), the Hochon (), the Togro () rivers from Korea and the Ai (or Aihe) () and the Hun () from China. The river is not easily navigable for most of its length. Most of the river freezes during winter and can be crossed on foot. The depth of the Yalu River varies from some of the more shallow parts on the eastern side in Hyesan () to the deeper parts of the river near the Yellow Sea (). The estuary is the site of the Amrok River estuary Important Bird Area, identified as such by
BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...
. About 205 islands are on the Yalu. A 1962 border treaty between North Korea and China split the islands according to which ethnic group was living on each island. North Korea possesses 127 and China 78. Due to the division criteria, some islands such as Hwanggumpyong Island belong to North Korea, but abut the Chinese side of the river.


History

The river basin is the site where the ancient Korean kingdom of
Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...
rose to power. Many former fortresses are located along the river and the former capital of that kingdom was situated at what is now the medium-sized city of Ji'an along the Yalu, a site rich in Goguryeo-era relics. Wihwa Island on the river is historically famous as the place where, in 1388, General Yi Songgye (later
Taejo of Joseon Taejo (; 4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), personal name Yi Seong-gye (), later Yi Dan (), was the founder and first monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After overthrowing the Goryeo dynasty, he ascended to the throne in 1392 and abdi ...
) decided to turn back his army southward to
Kaesong Kaesong (, ; ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region cl ...
in the first of a series of revolts that eventually led to the establishment of the
Joseon dynasty Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...
. The river has been the site of several battles because of its strategic location between Korea and China, including: * Battle of the Yalu River (1894)
First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...
* Battle of Yalu River (1904)
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
* Battle near to the Yalu River (1950)
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
The southern side of the river was heavily industrialized during the period of Japanese rule (1910–1945), and by 1945 almost 20% of
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
's total industrial output originated in
Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
. During the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
, the movement of
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
troops approaching the river, despite repeated warnings by China not to, precipitated massive Chinese intervention from around Dandong. In the course of the conflict every bridge across the river except one was destroyed. The one remaining bridge was the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge connecting Sinuiju, North Korea to Dandong, China. During the war the valley surrounding the western end of the river also became the focal point of a series of
dogfight A dogfight, or dog fight, is an air combat manoeuvring, aerial battle between fighter aircraft that is conducted at close range. Modern terminology for air-to-air combat is air combat manoeuvring (ACM), which refers to tactical situations requir ...
s for air supremacy over North Korea, earning the nickname " MiG Alley" in reference to the MiG-15 fighters flown by the combined North Korean, Chinese, and
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
forces. As UN forces during the Korean War advanced toward the Yalu, China under Chairman
Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...
entered the war on the side of North Korea under Kim Il-sung. The river has frequently been crossed by North Koreans fleeing to China since the early 1990s, although the Tumen River remains the most-used way for such refugees. According to one scholar, the Korean-Chinese border along the Yalu River is the longest unchanged international border in history, lasting for at least 1,000 years. File:Broken_Bridge_on_Yalu_River.jpg, The pillar stubs of the Yalu River Broken Bridge between Dandong and Sinuiju, which was established in 1911 and destroyed during the Korean War. The bridge to the left is the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, which opened to traffic in 1943 and also fell to destruction by US aerial attacks during the war but was successfully repaired after 1953 (direction of photo looking south into North Korea). File:Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge across the Yalu.jpg, The Sino–Korean Friendship Bridge across the Yalu (Amnokgang) linking Sinuiju and Dandong.


Economy

The river is important for
hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
power, and one of the largest hydroelectric dams in Asia is in Sup'ung Dam, high and over long, located upstream from Sinuiju,
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
. The dam has created an artificial lake over a portion of the river, called Supung Lake. In addition, the river is used for transportation, particularly of lumber from its forested banks. The river provides fish for the local population. Downstream of Sup'ung is the Taipingwan Dam. Upstream of Sup'ung is the Unbong Dam. Both dams produce hydroelectric power, as well. In the river delta upstream from Dandong and adjacent to Hushan are several North Korean villages. Economic conditions in these villages have been described as poor, without access to electricity.


Crossings

* Ji'an Yalu River Border Railway Bridge, Ji'an China – Manp'o, North Korea * New Yalu River Bridge, under construction between Dandong, China and Sinŭiju, North Korea * Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, Dandong, China – Sinŭiju, North Korea


See also

* Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge *
China–North Korea relations The bilateral relations between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) (, ) have been generally friendly, although they have been somewhat strained in recent years because of North Korea and weap ...
* Geography of China *
Geography of North Korea North Korea is located in East Asia in the Northern half of Korea, partially on the Korean Peninsula. It borders three countries: People's Republic of China, China along the Amnok River, Yalu (Amnok) River, Russia along the Tumen River, and Sou ...


References


External links


Encyclopædia Britannica
* {{Authority control Border rivers China–North Korea border Dandong International rivers of Asia Rivers of Jilin Rivers of Liaoning Rivers of North Korea